King to star in nature festival

A NEW event celebrating wildlife and landscape – the Shetland Nature Festival – will feature Springwatch star Simon King, and run from 5th to 12th July throughout the isles.

First up will be the Sumburgh Head RSPB reserve seabird spectacular on 5th July, giving the public a chance to see amazing seabirds living on one of Britain’s most accessible seabird colonies.

Also on 5th July, King, lover of all things Shetland, will be at the Garrison Theatre to launch the festival and take questions from the public.

The finale will be an evening at the Shetland Museum celebrating Shetland’s own famous naturalist, the late Bobby Tulloch, on 12th July.

Festival organiser and South Shetland RSPB warden Helen Moncrieff said: “From Fair Isle to Muckle Flugga, and from Foula to the Skerries, the Shetland Nature Festival is about enjoying and celebrating Shetland’s fantastic natural offering.

“This event, timed to coincide with the start of the summer holidays, has something for everyone. I’m particularly keen for families and children to join the festival, perhaps at reserve open days or the RSPB’s ‘Go Wild with your Child’ days. Then there are boat trips, a poetry evening, otter spotting and so much more.”

VisitShetland island manager Andy Steven said: “This is an unrivalled opportunity for locals and visitors alike to head out and about in Shetland’s great outdoors and get up close and personal with our islands’ wide range of nature and wildlife.

“The final programme looks fantastic – full of fun and informative activities all courtesy of local organisations, and the variety of the programme is a real testament to their involvement and dedication to helping make this an entertaining and memorable event.”

The full programme can be viewed at www.visitshetland.com and will appear in The Shetland Times next week. More information is available from Visit Shetland, Market Cross, Lerwick on (01595) 693434.